Hawks Top Cyclones for Duals Title

CEDAR FALLS, IA — The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team won its third straight NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals team title Sunday afternoon with a 19-12 win over second-ranked Iowa State. The Hawkeyes are only the second school in the tournament’s 22-year history to win three straight team titles. Oklahoma State also won three straight titles from 2003-05. Hawkeye senior 174-pounder Jay Borschel was named Division I Outstanding Wrestler for the tournament.
Iowa improved to 13-0 and extended its dual winning streak to 51 matches, while posting a 28-12 record at the two-day tournament at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls. The Hawkeyes have won a total of six National Duals titles (1992, 1995, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2010).
The Hawkeyes handed Iowa State (6-2) their second dual loss of the season. Iowa won the earlier season meeting, 18-16, on Dec. 6 in Ames. Both teams won five matches in that dual, but Iowa scored the win with two extra team bonus points. In Sunday’s National Duals finals, Iowa won six matches and did not allow Iowa State to score any extra team bonus points.
“We came out slugging in that fight,” said Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Brands. “We got knocked down a couple of times, but we got back up a lot. Was that our best lineup out there? It doesn’t matter because we believe in our guys. Our depth is deep and we are progressing.”
Hawkeye redshirt freshman Matt McDonough kicked off the dual at 125 with a thrilling 9-8 victory over Iowa State redshirt freshman Andrew Long. Long, who is ranked fifth in the nation, scored the first takedown of the match, but McDonough responded with an escape and a takedown with four seconds left in the period to take a 3-2 lead. McDonough, who is ranked fourth in the nation, chose the down position to start the second period, but fell behind 5-3 when Long scored three nearfall points. McDonough scored a reversal to tie the score at 5-5, but Long escaped to take a 6-5. McDonough scored his second takedown of the match to take a 7-6 lead into the third period. Long escaped to tie the score at 7-7, but McDonough scored a takedown off a scramble to take a 9-7 lead. Long recorded an escape, but McDonough came away with the win. It is the third time this season the two have met, with McDonough winning all three decisions. He is undefeated at 19-0 this season.
Iowa State’s Nick Fanthorpe tied the team score at 3-3 with his 8-3 decision over Iowa redshirt freshman Nate Moore at 133. Moore, who is wrestling for injured starter Daniel Dennis, scored three escapes in the dual, but could not get his offense going against the eighth-ranked Cyclone senior.
Iowa responded with a five-match winning streak that sealed the team victory and tournament title. Hawkeye senior Dan LeClere got things going at 141 with his 7-2 decision over Cyclone sophomore Dalton Jensen, who was wrestling for injured starter and second-ranked Nick Gallick. LeClere scored two takedowns in the bout and rode Jensen the entire third period for his ninth collegiate win of the season.
Hawkeye senior 149-pounder Brent Metcalf won his fourth career victory against Cyclone senior and Iowa City native Mitch Mueller, scoring a 7-3 decision. With the score tied at 2-2 after the first two periods, the top-ranked Hawkeye recorded two third-period takedowns to remain undefeated at 19-0 this season.
Iowa junior Aaron Janssen picked up his 20th career victory with a 3-1 win in sudden victory over Cyclone sophomore Andrew Sorenson. Both wrestlers scored escapes in regulation, and Janssen scored the takedown with 15 seconds left in sudden victory to record the win for Iowa.
At 165, Hawkeye senior Ryan Morningstar posted his 95th career victory and avenged two earlier season losses to #3 Cyclone junior Jon Reader, with a 5-4 decision. Morningstar, who is ranked fifth in the nation, trailed 4-2 at the start of the third period. He recorded a quick escape and then a late takedown for the victory. Morningstar now has a 4-2 career record against Reader, and is 15-2 this season.
Borschel scored the only team bonus points of the dual with his 10-2 major decision over Iowa State senior Duke Burk at 174. Leading 3-0 after the second period, Borschel turned on the offense scoring three takedowns and a riding time point for the win. The Hawkeye senior, who is ranked first in the nation, remains undefeated at 18-0 this season, and has a 5-0 career record against Burk.
Iowa State won the last three bouts to end the dual. At 184, Cyclone sophomore Jerome Ward scored a takedown in sudden victory to beat Hawkeye senior Phillip Keddy for the second time this season. Keddy was in on a takedown as time expired in regulation, but did not score before the buzzer sounded. Top-ranked Cyclone senior Jake Varner scored a 7-1 decision over Hawkeye junior Luke Lofthouse at 197, and fifth-ranked Iowa State senior David Zabriskie recorded a 4-1 win over Iowa sophomore Jordan Johnson at heavyweight to end the dual.

Tremendous win for the Hawkeyes........

Going in I was worried about the match with Boise State as I felt Iowa didn't match-up well with the Broncos from Boise.

This was a very good event, tremendous match-ups.

currently airing on Big10 Network, Fish.

viking611 said:

currently airing on big10 network, fish.

Click to expand...

thanks!!!!

No. 1 Hawkeyes tie up Cowboys...

Montell Marion typically gets so wrapped up in a match that he tunes out the chants, the cheers and the crowd.

But the Iowa sophomore couldn’t help but stand there for a few seconds Saturday night and take in the roar after his biggest win yet with the Hawkeyes.

Marion’s 4-0 victory against fifth-ranked Jamal Parks at 141 pounds helped No. 1 Iowa preserve the fourth-longest winning streak in college wrestling history and beat Oklahoma State 19-16 in front of 10,967 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“It was a big win just for my confidence,” Marion said. “I know I’ve been performing in the room year-round, but the thing is, you’ve got to make it count out there in front of the crowd in big matches. This is a stepping stone toward the NCAAs. This was important for me.”

It was just as important for the Hawkeyes (14-0), who notched their first home victory in 10 years in the series and ran their winning streak to 52.

“They’re ready when they come here,” Iowa coach Tom Brands said of the fourth-ranked Cowboys (8-1-1). “They want to silence this crowd, they want to wreck the party.”

They nearly did.

Oklahoma State picked up a pair of key wins from redshirt freshmen Jordan Oliver and Alex Meade against senior All-Americans. But the bonus points Iowa accumulated early and Marion’s victory against Parks were the difference in the end.

“We couldn’t have upsets against this team and expect to come in and win,” Oklahoma State coach John Smith said. “That’s what they got at ’41. (But) I don’t know if it’s an upset. The guy might be better than Parks.”

With starters Chad Beatty and Dan Erekson recovering from injuries, Iowa needed to pull out a match it wasn’t favored to win after Oliver scored a takedown with one second remaining to claim a 3-2 win against All-American Daniel Dennis at 133.

Marion delivered.

“We needed to get the momentum back on our side and get things going,” Marion said.

“I felt like I was in control of the match. I had to make sure I kept hammering and not giving him anything he could look forward to like escapes or even if he did get an escape, keeping on him and not letting him breathe.”

Parks beat Marion 11-5 two years ago at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, but the Des Moines native controlled Saturday night’s match after scoring a takedown midway through the second period and riding Parks the rest of the bout.

“He wrestled very well against a wrestler who’s been competitive and shown he can wrestle with the best in the country,” Brands said. “Montell Marion goes out there and he shut him down and he was firing. … When he wrestles solid and focused and free and not trying to take down the whole world, he’s doggone tough.”

The Hawkeyes led the dual from start to finish, picking up bonus points at 125 when fourth-ranked freshman Matt McDonough racked up three of his five takedowns in the third period to handle No. 9 Chris Notte 13-4.

Iowa padded its lead with top-ranked Brent Metcalf’s 21- 5 technical fall against Quinten Fuentes at 149.

Oklahoma State cut the dual deficit to 12-10 after Neil Erisman won a 16-7 major decision against Aaron Janssen at 157 and Meade knocked off fourth-ranked Ryan Morningstar 5-3 at 165.

But top-ranked Jay Borschel rolled up 4:37 of riding time in a 9-1 major decision against Mike Benefiel at 174 and Phil Keddy fought off a late shot from Clayton Foster to win a 3-2 decision at 184.

“Right now I feel like we’ve come out of a scrap,” Brands said. “That was a good team that we beat out there. … It was a big statement for our program. I feel like our team rose to the occasion.”

Reach Andy Hamilton at 339-7368 or ahamilton@press-citizen.com.

Iowa 19, Oklahoma State 16
125 – Matt McDonough (I) major dec. Chris Notte 13-4.
133 – Jordan Oliver (OSU) dec. Daniel Dennis 3-2.
141 – Montell Marion (I) dec. Jamal Parks 4-0.
149 – Brent Metcalf (I) tech. fall Quinten Fuentes 21-5.
157 – Neil Erisman (OSU) major dec. Aaron Janssen 16-7
165 – Alex Meade (OSU) dec. Ryan Morningstar 5-3.
174 – Jay Borschel (I) major dec. Mike Benefiel 9-1.
184 – Phil Keddy (I) dec. Clayton Foster 3-2.
197 – Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. Luke Lofthouse 3-2.
Hwt. – Jared Rosholt (OSU) dec. Blake Rasing 7-5.